There is a strong consensus that social pensions can potentially play a significant role in reducing old-age poverty in Asian countries. This chapter examines the determinants of the short- and long-term fiscal costs of social pensions in Asia, and avenues for enhancing fiscal space for...

Population aging is a global phenomenon but what sets Asia apart is the sheer scale and speed of its aging. Pension systems will have to play a bigger role but in most Asian countries pension systems are still underdeveloped, fragmented, and poorly financed. Asian countries need to embark on...

This chapter provides an overview of an integrated and innovative approach adopted by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, which assumed office in May 2014, to broaden and deepen delivery of social protection programs and schemes to Indian households. The government has accepted that...

This paper examines the organization and reporting structure of Singapore's public budgetary accounts and implications for public financial management. The budget's current reporting scope and structure does not provide an adequate representation of the government's fiscal position. Subtle...

This paper analyses the challenges faced by the policy makers in the U.K. in designing, managing, and winding up of a Metronet Public-Private-Partnership (Project), with a value of nearly GBP 16 billion. The PPP project, initiated in 2003, was envisaged to be a 30 year project, but by 2008 the...

There is growing consensus that in the 21st century, broad based economic growth with social harmony would be difficult to pursue without progress in social development. This paper focuses on how incorporating economic reasoning in social policy analysis and discussions could assist in improving...

This paper analyses key economic management characteristics exhibited by the Government of Gujarat and its initiatives to sustain broad-based growth. A growth diagnostics framework of Rodrik (2010), modified to suit India's federal context in which states will play an increasingly prominent...

The 73rd and 74th Amendments in 1992 to India's Constitution resulted in the establishment of the third-tier of government comprising of urban local bodies (ULBs) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The amendments mandated the establishment of the State Finance Commissions (SFCs) at every...

The publication of Thomas Piketty's 2014 book "Capital in the Twenty First Century" has been a catalyst in bringing the issue of inequality to the forefront of public policy debates in many countries. This is remarkable, given the book's length (696 pages), intricacies of historical data series...